Crockpot Mississippi Chicken

Easy, convenient, and budget-friendly, Mississippi Chicken is a weeknight slow-cooker supper you can rely on. It comes together using affordable and easy-to-find ingredients, and it cooks in the slow cooker while your hands are free.

Made in the style of the classic Mississippi Roast, chicken is the star here instead, with peppers adding tang and texture. The protein is so tender it falls apart, and the dish is hearty, savory, and altogether comforting. This recipe serves four and requires an active prep time of just 10 minutes.

Crockpot Mississippi Chicken Ingredients

For this recipe, start with boneless, skinless chicken breast. You’ll also need yellow onion, an envelope of chicken gravy mix, a package of ranch dressing mix, some kosher salt, banana peppers (plus pickling liquid from the jar), and unsalted butter. 

For serving, prepare mashed potatoes or steamed rice as you prefer. And use fresh, flat-leaf parsley for garnish and a hit of freshness.

How To Make Crockpot Mississippi Chicken

As with all good dump-and-go slow-cooker recipes, you don't have to do much to get this Mississippi Chicken going. Place the chicken in an even layer in the slow cooker. Top it with onion, gravy mix, ranch mix, salt, banana peppers and pickling liquid, and butter. Cover and cook on high or low per your preference and the time you have until dinner.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the slow cooker, and put it on a cutting board. Use two forks to coarsely shred the chicken before returning it to the liquid in the slow cooker. Serve it over your choice of mashed potatoes or rice, and garnish with parsley.

What Does Mississippi Chicken Taste Like?

This chicken is so tender it falls apart easily (so much so that a slotted spoon is required to capture it all, whereas tongs would allow it to slip through). As the chicken braises for hours in the buttery liquid, it picks up flavors and aromatics from the ranch and gravy mix. The banana peppers impart acidity and tang along with the juice. The onion only further deepens the flavor.

Tips From the Southern Living Test Kitchens

The pros who developed and tested this recipe share some tips of their own:

Can you use pepperoncinis instead of banana peppers?

You can make this recipe using pepperoncinis. Both banana peppers and pepperoncini are widely available, and both are considered sweet peppers, but the banana pepper is the slightly sweeter of the two. Pepperoncini are sharper—even noted for a hint of bitterness, especially the Italian variation—but they also tend to be more succulent. 

Can you freeze Mississippi Chicken?

Absolutely! Freeze the entire dish or just leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Keep the chicken separate from the mashed potatoes or rice, though. And be sure to label the dish so you'll know what it is and when you stuffed it in the freezer.

When you want to eat it, let the dish thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.